Again
by allhypedup
Summary: Who knew a homeless girl could do so much? ( Pietro x OC )
1. Chapter 1

Her hand was pressed closely to her side, trying to keep anymore blood from spilling out onto the sidewalk. Len stumbled, her vision blacking around the edges. She wanted to cry out, but it was New York. No one was going to help her. She was doomed to die.

Alright, maybe she was being a bit dramatic. But how else were you supposed to act when you get stabbed in the side from some asshole mugger?

It was more interesting to her why the guy chose her. Len couldn't remember the last time she slept somewhere that wasn't filled with trash and decorated with graffiti. That was a lie. The last time she had bed of her own was two years ago.

But she refused to let her life flash before her eyes. It wouldn't be much to watch anyway.

Len stopped moving, her legs too weak to carry her any further. She sat on the steps of some building, leaning back. She ignored the feeling of the stone steps digging into her side as she attempted to lie down, and instead focused on her breathing.

The sound of heels clicking on the sidewalk didn't register until they stopped right next to her head. Her first thought was how cute the shoes were before she blacked out completely.

* * *

She was dreaming. She had to be. The last time she saw her mother was when she was only fourteen years old. Yet here she was, standing in front of her wearing the same sundress as the day she died. Len reached out to her, calling to her louder and louder. Her mother stayed perfectly still, with nothing but a small smile on her face.

"Why aren't you answering me?" she cried.

"It will make sense. All you have to do is find your father." Her voice echoed, as if she was standing in the middle of a long tunnel. Len wanted to ask her more. What will make sense? How can she find her father if she didn't even know his name? The questions were just about to leave her lips but then her mother was gone.

The dream repeated itself in various forms while Len was unconscious. But they all said the same thing. She had to find her father.

Len was never told anything about the mysterious man. All her mother said was that he left her when she found out she was pregnant again. Her older sister told her nothing, and neither did her uncle. After her mother's car accident they seemed even more closed off to Len. A few years had passed and she figured that she will never know who her father is. Strangely, she was alright with that.

If the man didn't want to know about her, why should she want to know about him?

* * *

It took three days for the strange girl to wake up. Each day, Pepper Potts would peek inside of the infirmary to see how the young girl was doing, and each day Dr. Cho would wave her away.

Finding a girl dying on the steps of the Avengers Tower wasn't something she had expected when she returned that night, but she couldn't find a piece of her that would leave her there.

That morning, just as she normally did, she poked her head into the room, her eyes setting right on the girl's face. Pepper gave one sympathetic glance to the only other inhabitant of the room. The boy Tony so lovingly referred to as Speedy. Pietro almost didn't make the wounds from the battle on the floating land, but he was returned to Dr. Cho in time for her to use her cradle to fix his wounds. Now, they were just waiting for him to wake up.

Pepper looked back at the girl who was still unconscious, but seemed to be twitching in her sleep. Pepper's eyes moved to Dr. Cho who gave her a knowing look before approaching her.

"She should be waking up soon. Her wounds are healed, but she seems to be pulled too deep into whatever she is experiencing. Once she wakes, I would like to keep her on bed rest so I can make sure she is fully recovered."

"And how long until she wakes up?"

As if on cue, a small gasp stole the attention of the two women. A pair of red rimmed eyes watched them, fear emitting from her entire body. Pepper approached the girl slowly, standing just at her bedside.

"Who are you? Where am I? What happened?" Her voice was rough from not being used, and the small girl tried to clear her throat.

"My name is Pepper. You are in the Avengers Tower after I found you on the steps just outside. Do you remember anything that happened?"

The girl thought a moment, her hand coming to rest on her forehead. "N-no. Nothing."

"What is your name?"

"Eleanor. Um, but you can call me Len."

"Well Len, this is Dr. Cho. She will be looking after you until we are certain you are all healed. Is that alright? Is there anyone you need to call?"

"I – no. No one at all." Pepper tried to ignore the sour tone.

"Well, then make yourself comfortable. Welcome to the Avenger's Tower."

 **Short, but just the introduction. The rest of the chapters will be longer. Promise :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Again. And again.

Her mother told her to go to her father. Len was getting frustrated. Can you be frustrated when trapped in an endless dream? Apparently. Len was always under the impression that one was able to control their dreams. But every time she tried, nothing worked in her favor.

Each and every night since she woke up it was the same dream. Again, and again. So that morning, when she woke up calling for her mother, she fell back onto the pillow even more exhausted than when she went to sleep.

As part of her routine, she turned her head to the side and looked at her roommate. The boy was still sleeping, and as far as she could tell, hasn't woken up yet. He must have been through hell.

Len didn't know what time it was. She could just barely see out the window that was directly behind her head. The machines didn't give her much room to move around, but if she moved her head back just the right amount, she could just see it.

The blue sky made her even more miserable. She was never the kind of person to want to sit inside. She loved walking in nature. Even though living in New York didn't give her the kind she needed, she found a small amount of joy in the parks scattered around her city.

Her neck started to hurt her, so with a groan she moved her head back and flopped it to the side. Her eyes fell back onto the boy. There wasn't much else to look at in the room. Besides, his profile was good looking. Len was never one to pass down a good look at a hot man. She was curious about him. Turning on her side, she looked him over carefully. His bed was pretty close to hers. If they both reach out their fingers just might be able to touch. That would only be if he woke up.

From what she could tell, he had to be around her age. Or maybe a year or two older than her. But then again, she didn't exactly trust faces. Her eyes moved over his body quickly, noting that there were much more machines attached to him than to her own body.

Without any real backstories, she had to create her own for him. She was in the Avengers Tower, so he had to be some awesome superhero, right? Or maybe he was a bad guy they were healing so they could question him. She liked the idea that he was a supervillain. Like that psycho that used aliens to attack New York. Multiple theories went through her mind, her favorite being that he was a super-secret spy from Russia out to destroy the Avengers. Part of the KGB or something.

Her mind wanted to continue the different scenarios, but the door opening stopped that. She moved back to her original position, her eyes closing quickly. The door closed quietly, and Len risked peeking. A girl moved silently across the room, stopping right next to the boy's body. It was hard to see what the visitor looked like, but Len didn't want to risk opening her eyes any further. The girl sat on the edge of the boy's bed, her hands on his. Girlfriend, maybe? She sat in silence a moment, muttering something in another language to him. Len took the small moment to open her eyes fully. Red. All she could see was red. The hair, the clothing. Len wanted to congratulate the girl on finding a color that worked for her and for sticking to it. She had yet to be so lucky. Most of her clothes consisted of stained, ugly gray things. Then again, she couldn't exactly afford to be picky.

"I know you're awake." Len rose an eyebrow at the accent. Maybe her Russian spy theory was right. After a beat, she realized the girl was talking to her and not the boy. Len turned her head, smiling shamefully. The girl looked over at her, her eyes squinted just slightly. After a moment, she turned away from her.

"Who are you?" She struggled to sit up, gritted her teeth as a pain went through her side. She gave up, letting her hands rest over her ribs.

"My name is Wanda." The girl, Wanda, looked back over to Len; her hands still clutching the boy's. "This is my brother, Pietro."

"That was my next question," she grunted, moving to her side. "You're good."

"I know things." Len smiled at the slight shrug the other gave, liking the girl immediately.

"I'm Len." Wanda nodded once, turning back away from her. Len bit her lower lip slightly, trying to think of something else to say. "Is he going to be alright?"

"If he knows what's good for him." Len smiled again, letting a small laugh fill the silence.

"What happened to you?" Wanda asked turning on the bed. Her hands still held on to her brother's but her focus was on Len.

"Some asshole thought I had something on me worth stabbing me over. Jokes on him though. I didn't have anything to take. Well, unless they consider fourteen cents something. Some woman, Piper I think, found me and brought me here."

"Pepper."

"Right. I'm terrible at remembering names." Len shifted again. Wanda gave her another smile. It was more than obvious when the smile didn't reach her eyes that she was worried about her brother. Len didn't blame her. More than once she had found herself sitting at her sister's bedside, praying for her to open her eyes.

* * *

It was the first time her dreams didn't wake her up. She blinked rapidly, her eyes focusing on the movements from next to her. The doctor . . . Dr. - damn! What was her name? Was moving around the boy, Pietro, speaking softly to him. And he, he was answering.

He spoke in the same unique accent as his sister, but Len wasn't sure if it was how raspy his voice was that made it sound much thicker. She turned her head to watch, the doctor not noticing she was awake yet. After one more check, the doctor nodded once and left the room.

"Sleeping Beauty wakes." It was meant to be in her head. Honestly. But when he chuckled and turned toward her, Len felt her face get hot. Thank whatever higher power was out there that she wasn't attached to a heart monitor.

"What are you in for?" Len bit her lip, praying for the red on her neck to disappear and turned on her side. She did so without wincing. Maybe she could get out of here soon.

"Stabbed by a mugger. You?"

"Shot by a robot." Len didn't want to laugh, but she couldn't stop a small giggle from leaving her lips. "It's not that funny." She nodded, but the smile came back when she saw the small one grow on his face.

He opened his mouth to say more, but the door slammed open and a red flash flew to his side. Len watched with a smile when she hugged him too roughly, causing the doctor to pull her back. She had the small feeling that she was interrupting a moment, so she turned her head.

The movement, brought over the doctor's - (Doctor Cho! That was it!) - attention. "Alright, Eleanor – I'm sorry, Len. Everything looks to be healing well." She pulled back the bandage on her side, giving a small hum of approval. "You should be able to go home tomorrow."

Len's smile dropped. She had only been in the tower for three days, but it was enough to make her forget what would happen when she finally healed up. Len sighed, before bringing the smile back to her face and gave her a small thank you.

"I can bring back Miss Potts to make the arrangements for your release tomorrow. Mid-afternoon, should be okay." With yet another smile, she left the room.

Wanda was too busy scolding Pietro in that same strange language, and Len didn't want to say anything to bring them out of their world. They deserved the moment of happiness.

She only wished she had someone at her side too.

* * *

 **Hi! So so sorry this took so long to get out. But I do want to thank all of you who favorited and left a review! And a very special shout out to XxXhater4everXxX for the most loving, heartfelt review I have ever gotten on a story.**

 **But seriously, thanks to Ravenclaw Slytherin; tardiscompanion101; NorseGoddess23; and the guest for leaving your messages! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Len was starting to be able to sit up without wincing. It was a decent improvement in her mind. The lovely doctor started easing up with her check-ins, giving her the impression that she was healing well. It was such a relief to not be attached to machines anymore. Len was grateful that she was going to walk away from everything, each night thanking her mother for watching over her.

After trying to figure out what that dream meant.

Pietro was healing well himself, which surprised her considering he was shot a shit load of times. He didn't seem to want to tell her all of what happened, and Len didn't push it. She liked having someone to talk to without having to worry about getting into personal things. It was obviously as sore of a subject with him as it was with her. Like at that moment, Len was explaining to him her plan for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

"So just like that?" he had laughed and Len beamed. He still had difficulty sitting up, so Len was seated on her now usual spot on his bed.

"Yep. Just like that. All that would be left would be to find food. But I'm hoping at that point animals would just be wondering free."

"You put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"

"I have a lot of free time."

"Apparently."

They sat in silence for a moment, both with smiles on their faces. Pietro opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped when the door slowly creaked open. Wanda poked her head in, smiling bashfully at the two.

"I did not mean to interrupt."

"No no, come on in. Have your sibling time." Len hopped off the bed and moved to her own, picking up one of the books that Pepper had left for her. Even though the two would switch over into speaking their native language, Len still felt awkward if she didn't have something to do. She wasn't much of a reader, but was grateful for the distraction.

* * *

" _Why are you still lying down? Are you still not healed_?" Pietro wanted to roll his eyes at his sister's worried tone, but refrained. The last thing he needed was more scolding. His eyes flicked to Len once before moving back to Wanda.

" _I am healed. I just_ …"

" _You don't want her to know_."

" _Get out of my head_." Wanda grinned widely. " _I like having someone talk to me. I don't want her to know just yet. She'd see me differently. It's nice to have a friend_."

Wanda put her hand on his, smiling softly.

* * *

The doctor had giving Len the okay to leave. She gave a wide smile, but couldn't help but feel her stomach fall to her feet. Even more so when Pepper insisted on driving her.

Her good-bye to Pietro was short, a small hug and a promise to stay in touch. After giving a similar farewell to Wanda, Len followed Pepper down to the cars. She should have been admiring the building and the lines and lines of cars that were in the garage, but her eyes were trained on her shoes.

"So, where to?"

* * *

It was a nice enough building. Len knew it from some of her walks around the city. She loved sitting on the park bench across the street and watching the people come in and out of the apartments. It was the moteliest crew she had ever seen. Her favorite was the woman – Mrs. White she mentally called her. Mrs. White always had her white fur coat on, no matter what the weather was like. It perfectly matched her bright white hair and the super high white stilettos she always wore. With the makeup of a drag queen, Len couldn't help but just want to know more about her life.

With the people coming in and out of the building, Len figured no one would question why she was walking in with too big jeans and a too small sweatshirt that showed more of her stomach than she was comfortable with. Luckily, Pepper believed that she lived in the building. Or if she didn't, she kept it too herself. Which Len was thankful for.

"If you need anything, just come back to the tower and ask for me. Okay?" Len smiled and nodded, slipping out of the car. She gave a short wave and watched the car drive away. She walked up the steps slowly, watching the car out of the corner of her eye. When the black sedan turned the corner, she turned back around.

Her first thought was that now she would be able to find her father. But that would mean trying to get information from her sister and uncle. That would mean seeing them.

There was no way in _Hell_ she was going to do that.

She wished that her mother had told her more. Given her something to worth with; either in the dreams or when she was still alive.

 _I guess I can start there_.

Her mother's grave was one of the newest in the Locustwood Cemetery. It wasn't too far from the Avenger's Tower; so out of paranoia, Len kept her head down and hood up. She slipped in the entrance of the graveyard letting herself slow her walk. She moved toward her mother through instinct, having walked the path more time than she could count.

The grave site was clean, meaning her sister was there. Abby always was a little too clean. Then again, so was their mother. It was one of the traits Len didn't get from her mother. The only thing that really stuck was the same wild curly hair. Len sat at the headstone, her eyes almost pleading with the grey plate. She found out that it was easier to mentally speak to her mother, than to cry and yell out loud and have the people around her stare at her like she had three heads. Any more than they already do, that is.

She just needed something. Anything that showed that she wasn't crazy and that there was something out there for her. That her dreams meant something. Len spent her whole life being kicked down and told no. She just needed something . . . more. There was only so much longer she could handle being homeless.

The wind picked up. Leaves circled around Len and rose, pulling her hair with them. She stood, watching the swirl of brown and orange blocking her view of the cemetery. The leaves blew to the right, a small whistling echoing in her ears.

Len followed. The leaves didn't go past the cemetery, but the ringing in her ears grew louder. She followed the sound, noticing it growing louder in her left ear. She turned left. The high pitched directions lead her to a park only a few blocks away.

She had been there once or twice, but there wasn't anything that stood out to her. And the whistling had stopped. Len sighed, her shoulder slumping. Without wanting to give up, she moved around the park, eyeing each permanent figure. There had to be something.

It was the third time she circled when she noticed the tree. It wasn't anything different, but there were markings on the side. Judging the height of where the marks were, Len had guessed it had been a couple of years since they had appeared. In a heart there were two sets of initials.

 _N.F. + Y. V._

* * *

 **Hey! So so so sorry for being the worst at updating this. But I finally got my inspiration back for writing this! I just want to thank each person who has commented on this and followed. Even though there was only 2 chapters up I am so thankful for the amount of love it has gotten.**

 **Now tell me, who do you think her father is? ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

He never thought he was going to see her again.

Not that she completely shook his world and left a lasting impression – but for the past few weeks, he found his thoughts drifting to the girl. Wondering where she was, wondering what exactly happened to her that got her hurt in the first place. Yet, just as quickly as her face appeared in his mind, it left once he found something to distract him with.

Today, his distraction was walking around the city. His hood was lifted over his face, his eyes ignoring the people that walked by him. There was no direction for him, no place he wanted to go. Just somewhere. Somewhere away from that tower. Trusting in his feet, he lifted his eyes up.

Then she walked past him. He didn't realize it was her until her shoulder brushed against his. His head looked over his shoulder and she turned back, calling out a 'sorry' as she looked over her own. Their eyes met, but she kept moving.

She probably didn't remember him. But what was the harm in reminding her? He followed her, his eyes trained on the back of her wild, curly hair. When she was in the room with him, it was pulled back in a tight braid, much tamer than how it was now. The curls bounced around her, as she walked quickly, her hands clenched in fists at her sides.

By the time they arrived to her destination, he had the back of her head memorized. He was too busy keeping his eyes on her, that he didn't pay attention to where they were heading.

He froze at the gates of the cemetery. She was seated on the ground just by the entrance, her hands picking at the ground. Once the headstone was cleared, she started talking. Her voice was quiet, and he couldn't tell what she was saying, but once or twice he heard the same word. _Mom._

He felt it in his chest. The death of family. Suddenly, he understood her more. Why she stayed silent about her life, why she avoided all the questions Pepper, Dr. Cho, and his sister asked her.

* * *

Len was frustrated. Beyond frustrated. She was angry, annoyed, pissed off, and whatever other word there was for it.

She had finally done it. Swallowed her pride and went to her sister. And for what? To get the damn door **slammed in her face.**

All she wanted to know was who her father was. But no. Juliette allowed her into the home, which was much more then Len thought her sister was going to do. Not being one to beat around the bush, Len asked outright. Juliette told her to leave. And that was that.

Her fingers traced over her mother's name, Yvonne Vincent. She had always admired her mother's first name. Len admired her name, her beauty, her red hair, almost everything about her. Her mother was one of the most kind, peaceful people she had ever met. Obviously it wasn't passed down to either her or her sister.

She frowned, sitting back. She had ranted to her mother when she first sat down, and now felt exhausted from it.

"I just need your help." Her voice was louder than before, the pleading almost visible in her words.

 ** _Look behind you._**

The voice frightened her. She didn't recognize it, but it sounded like a twisted version of her own. Her heart started beating quickly, and she looked over her shoulder. There was someone standing at the gate watching her, and when she looked back, he stood up straighter. Her eyes narrowed and the voice spoke again.

 ** _Pietro._**

Squinting her eyes more, she recognized his face. A small smile came to her lips and she stood, walking back to him. She kept her arms in front of her, thanking the high heavens that Pepper had given her a new set of clothing before she was released from the tower.

"You're alive."

"So are you." _Barely._ She smiled, holding the word back. For a moment, she forgot. She forgot about the voice, her sister, her frustrations.

"Do you have someone here or …. ?" She gestured back to the cemetery. He shook his head.

"I saw you and thought I would come and say hello." He pulled the hood back from his head, a wide grin on his face.

"Well, hi." She answered lamely. She moved closer to him. "Did you want to go somewhere? This place is kind of depressing." He nodded and the two started down the road. They fell into a silence, and Len searched her brain for something to say. She didn't want to ask anything personal, not wanting him to ask her the same. But nothing came to her mind. Pietro seemed to have the same issue, his eyes cast down as he thought.

"How is your sister?" Pietro looked up, a small smile on his face.

"Good, good. She wonders about you. If you are alright." Len smiled, feeling honored that someone cared for her well-being. Especially someone that she only talked to for a short amount of time. "You should come to the tower and visit her." Len chuckled, her elbow nudging his.

"Just her?" She rose an eyebrow and he looked forward, smiling. "Yeah, I should. She seems like a good person. You both do."

"So are you." Len smiled, not wanting to tell him how wrong he was. They kept moving forward, the Avenger's Tower appearing before them. She wondered if it was done on purpose. She gestured to the building, and he nodded. He led them inside, the security allowing them to pass.

She took the time to do what she didn't as she left. She looked around. Her mouth dropped open slightly, not realizing how _huge_ the place was. Her head was too busy looking up, she didn't realize that she was about to walk right into someone.

When she crashed into the stranger, she brought her eyes forward, apologizing instantly.

 ** _It's him._**

The voice spoke again. Her eyes went wide as she looked at the man in front of her. He looked back at her, confused. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his own. (Or rather, his _one._ ) It was the same as looking into Juliette's eyes.

"Who are you?" He spoke with such authority, that her own voice was caught in her throat.

"Director Fury, she's with me." Pietro's voice sounded next to her, but she still stood frozen. The man looked from Pietro to her, and back again, before nodding once. He walked by him, still talking to the man he was walking with. It took her a moment to comprehend the other man was the famous Captain America.

"Are you alright?" She looked up at Pietro, her hands shaking.

"I …. I need to go." She turned on her heel, not knowing she was able to run so fast. Her eyes stung with tears, her heart beat so hard in her chest that she couldn't hear anything over it. She had to go. Just had to **go**.

She didn't stop running until she got to her sister's house. Her fist pounded on the door so hard, that she was surprised that she didn't break it. Juliette answered, and her eyes widened as she took in her little sister's state.

"You need to tell me what is going on. And you need to tell me **now.** "

* * *

 **I am so sorry! This took forever to get out, and hopefully there won't be as much of a gap as next time. So there you go! Her father :) I didn't want to drag out who it was, but the explanation for the voice in her head and her dreams will be revealed soon! I have such a cool plan for this story, and hopefully you guys like it.**

 **Thank you all for the reviews and subscriptions!**


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